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artistically confront times when they
felt stereotyped or discriminated
against and envision empowering
outcomes to the problem.
Postcards with a Purpose
In this lesson, postcards serve as an
autobiographical form of visual com-
munication and a valuable way for
teachers to lead students to approach
difficult issues through more confi-
dent reflection. It is my hope that
through postcard creation, sharing,
and discussion, students feel: (A) less
isolated, (B) more connected with
their peers, and (C) a sense of agency.
When their adolescent struggles are
shared with their peers, they can col-
lectively envision how they can turn
disempowering experiences into
empowering memories.
Lesson Inspiration
This lesson was inspired by the ongo-
ing community art project PostSecret,
my critical dissertation research, and
my involvement in the 2011 NAEA
Women's Caucus Postcard Project. I
encourage art educators to consider
community art sites, such as Post-
Secret, as classroom resources for
social justice activism. My study and
NAEA WC Postcard Project prompts
can serve as springboards for mean-
ingful reflection related to themes
of feminism, feminist pedagogy,
social justice, and art education. For
this lesson, I focus on one particu-
lar prompt I modified to use with
students who are digital citizens.
Distributing and Reflecting
Students receive a blank rectangular
postcard and various art-making
materials, including crayons, mark
-
ers, colored pencils, magazines,
scissors, and glue. I stress thought
-
fulness, effort, and visual message
communication over artistic talent
and technique.
After postcards are distributed,
students are given time to reflect on
the following prompt: Think of a time
when you felt stereotyped or discrim-
inated against in physical or virtual
space because of your appearance.
Visualization and Creation
The following visualization strategies
may encourage thoughtful art-making:
(A) relaxing; (B) focusing on a specific
disempowering event; (C) recalling
or envisioning concrete details about
the event; and (D) creating a visual
representation of the event. In order
to facilitate student sharing of deeply
meaningful stories, I recommend that
educators of this approach: engage
in active listening; remain open,
empathetic, and nonjudgmental;
and build trusting relationships by
working with students individually.
Next, students are encouraged to
Slim You. Anonymous student postcard.
18 FEBRUARY 2018 SchoolArts